ACT Governance gone wrong
Canberra Investigated
When expatriate and political activist and artistic satirist Caroline Ambrus dipped out of Queanbeyan and sought new pastures across the border, she thought she would get a better deal in community justice and consultation. 1
Instead of retiring on a political holiday away from the action she has spent the past six years on investigative journalism resulting in her recent addition to the art-political scene - a book aptly named “Capital Tyranny – Governance Gone Wrong”, 2
Mayoral slug
This book is set to stir the cockles of the politician’s hearts and give the community an insight into what is really happening in Australia’s economically driven land sale society.
With Queanbeyan City Council elections tomorrow, Saturday 13 September, 2008 and all ten councillor positions up for grabs, including the Mayoral position 3 the results should prove more interesting now that long entrenched Queanbeyan Mayor Frank Pangallo is retiring.
Frank Pangallo is moving to newer political pastures and standing for the seat of Molonglo in the ACT. 4
Queanbeyan will see some new faces and hopefully a change in the mental outlook although Ambrus is not entirely hopeful on that account when she writes her comment on the abolishment of the “ACT Planning and Land Council”,
“… But government is very careful of examining or criticising its own actions. … Now there is little to stop a planning minister from pushing through developments that will see our beautiful city turned into a replica of Queanbeyan. Botched planning is a mayoral tradition, after all.” 5
Iridescent
Not exactly a glowing reference for former Mayors of Queanbeyan or for the community of Queanbeyan in general and indicates that Queanbeyan may in fact be the leader, although with the economic driven society we live in where investigative journalism (or the lack of it) is now in the spotlight, artists with a political punch, someone like Ambrus, has a necessary role to keep the checks and balances in the public eye and make sure probity does not go out with the “baby and the bathwater”. 6
It is after all the prospect of a political backlash and the loss of power that is the driving force that provides and controls political honesty and accountability.
A member of the recently formed ACT “Community Alliance Party” 7 Caroline Ambrus says that she is just another bum on the seat but this well documented and easy to read ($15) book that gives an insight into the erosion of political-community justice, as the economic process takes the front row and community consultation is sidelined to the bleachers, could be the forerunner to a community backlash.
Ambrus’ book hand feeds us details on larger controversial decisions which impact on Queanbeyan like the massive ‘Epicentre’ 8 retail outlet at Fyshwick due to open soon and the proposed 210 Megawatt gas turbine generator power station consisting of nine units and 18 chimney stacks plus a business park comprising 13 data centres and offices at Block 1671 Section, Mugga Lane, Tuggeranong. 9
Jerrabomberra’s view
These details are an eye opener to our ACT neighbour’s attitude towards Queanbeyan’s existence in its scheme of things. 10
Ambrus writes that research has indicated that the so called “clean” gas-fired power station with ‘near zero’ emissions, “could amount to an additional 700 medium-sized cars, running at full-throttle, 24 hours a day. 11
This increases the environmental footprint emitting at least 187,000 tons of carbon greenhouse gases yearly. The process produces Nitrogen Dioxide, as well as other pollutants which can affect the health of susceptible individuals … and compound Tuggeranong’s fog problems.” 12
“The Actew AGL report indicates that the cooling towers will contribute 435ML per year of steam which may also exacerbate the fog, by coagulating with exhaust particles and draping over Jerrabomberra and the flight path thus affecting air traffic,” writes Ambrus. 13
Smoke & Mirrors
Whilst Caroline Ambrus admits the book documents problems associated with the “victimisation of friends” including former defacto partner John Fleischinger’s property and problems with ACTPLA, 14 she says these are not isolated incidents but part of the widespread unaccountable decision making process where the result is “short on detail and long on spin”. 15
Of interest to Queanbeyan this book lets us know what challenges lie (sic) across the border. 16
A long time coming the release of this book is timely as the Canberra community faces its own elections under the Hare-Clark system 17 in October this year.
END
Footnotes:
1. Connee-Colleen. Queanbeyan Outlook with Connee-Colleen, Mayoral slug © 2008, The Queanbeyan Age, 12 September, 2008. p 28. [OL.157].
2. Caroline Ambrus. Capital Tyranny - Governance Gone Wrong. © 2008. Further information on Caroline Ambrus: see web page. <www.irrepressible.com.au>
3. City News, Queanbeyan Edition, September 4-10, 2008. p 5. Administration: <www.citynews.com.au>
4. Ibid. pp 7, 8, 11.
5. Caroline Ambrus, 2008. p 30.
6. Ibid. p 79.
7. “The Community Alliance Party (ACT) applied and changed its name from the abbreviated name CAP (Community Alliance Party (ACT)) - from CAP to Community Alliance” 22 July, 2008. A copy of the application and the constitution of the party is available for public inspection at the office of the ACT Electoral Commissioner between 9.00am and 5.00pm on business days.
8. Caroline Ambrus, 2008. pp 19-24.
9. Ibid. p 93.
10. Jerrabomberra complained about the close border proximity of the ACT gaol.
11. Caroline Ambrus, 2008. p 94.
12. Ibid. p 94.
13. Ibid. 94.
14. Ibid. pp 51, 61.
15. Ibid. p 30.
16. Queanbeyan City Council already has implemented some of the consultations changes, short cuts etc. like those documented throughout the book which disadvantage the community and due process.
17. (i) The ACT Government electoral system was set up under the Hare-Clark system so there would NOT be a majority government but a majority Labor government has existed in the ACT for the past 6 years.
(ii) The Hare-Clark electoral voting system was named after the English lawyer, Sir Thomas Hare, who developed a proportional representation system in 1859, and Andrew Inglis Clark, who was the Tasmanian Attorney General between 1887 and 1892 and again from 1894 to 1897.
(iii) Clark modified Hare’s system and was responsible for its introduction in Tasmania. It was first used in Tasmania in 1897. It is still used in Tasmania today, to elect the Tasmanian House of Assembly. This information from: <www.electors.act.gov.au/education/factHC.html>
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NB: (i) CLICK on REFERENCE (at top of page) for more details on footnotes, and (ii) CLICK on GLOSSARY (at top of page) for meaning of words.